{"id":518196,"date":"2026-01-15T15:22:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T15:22:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/518196\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T15:22:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T15:22:11","slug":"i-work-at-a-fitness-related-company-my-colleagues-reactions-to-my-major-weight-loss-are-concerning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/518196\/","title":{"rendered":"I work at a fitness-related company. My colleagues’ reactions to my major weight loss are concerning."},"content":{"rendered":"

Good Job<\/a>\u00a0is Slate\u2019s advice column on work. Have a workplace problem big or small?\u00a0Send it to Laura Helmuth and Doree Shafrir here<\/strong><\/a>. (It\u2019s anonymous!)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dear Good Job,<\/strong><\/p>\n

My job is fully remote, with quarterly in-person \u201cconferences\u201d that last a few days. My company is fitness-related, and people are paying a lot of attention to weight.<\/p>\n

Over the past year, my doctor nailed down a long-term health condition I didn\u2019t know I had, and we worked on treatment. As a result, I\u2019ve lost about 60 pounds. Almost all of it was in my body. I still have round cheeks and a double chin. Over Zoom, I don\u2019t look that different unless you\u2019re looking for it.<\/p>\n

Last time we had a \u201cconference,\u201d a lot of people made weird comments about my weight\u2014questions about Ozempic (no, I haven\u2019t taken it, but there\u2019s no shame in needing it!) and people saying, \u201cI never would have known you lost weight from your online look\u201d (insulting). I suspect this time will be the same, since my weight loss has accelerated since then. How do I shut down these comments?<\/p>\n

\u2014Not Your Business<\/p>\n

Dear Not Your Business,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Before we get to your question, I have a quick message to anyone who thinks it\u2019s appropriate to compliment an acquaintance on their weight loss and ask how they did it. One of these days, someone is going to give you an answer you are not prepared for: a gastrointestinal disease, chemotherapy, or bereavement. This falls under the general prohibition against commenting on someone\u2019s appearance at work (see: \u201cWhy are you so sweaty?<\/a>\u201d and \u201cThose pants sure are tight<\/a>\u201d), but even more so because the poor person you\u2019re talking to has probably heard unwelcome comments about their weight their entire lives.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Laura Helmuth
\n The World\u2019s Worst Workplace Rule Has Finally Come to My Job. My Friends Say to Stop Whining.
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    Congratulations on identifying and managing a long-term health condition. I\u2019m sorry your colleagues were rude and weird at your last in-person conference. This time, you know what to expect and can prepare some professional responses. If someone compliments you on how you look, flip your response to focus on how you feel: \u201cI feel good, thank you.\u201d If they ask you how you did it, you could explain that you\u2019ve recently found a treatment for an undiagnosed condition. But that just rewards their rudeness and invites more questions, so it\u2019s better to shut that question down entirely. You can do it politely by pointedly answering a question they didn\u2019t explicitly ask: \u201cMy health is fine, thanks for asking.\u201d Or you could be more direct: \u201cOh, that\u2019s not something I talk about at work.\u201d Accompany either response with a wave of your hand and a change of subject. If they persist: \u201cI know you mean well, but that\u2019s personal.\u201d For more explicitly rude questions, practice giving them an unsmiling, eyebrows-raised look that says, Really?<\/p>\n

    You mention that your company is fitness-related, and it\u2019s disappointing that your colleagues seem to equate \u201cfit\u201d with \u201cskinny\u201d rather than with actual health<\/a>. You don\u2019t owe your co-workers any details about your private life, but you do have a fresh insight into how biased their idea of fitness is. I wonder if their explicit or implicit focus on weight is putting off potential clients, partners, or customers. If you wanted to take on the larger issue, you could share your observations: \u201cI\u2019ve been surprised at how preoccupied our colleagues are with weight loss. I\u2019m not sure that\u2019s good for the staff or our company\u2019s mission.\u201d If your company has professional development funds, you might ask them to bring in a speaker who could share the latest research<\/a> on how fitness<\/a> is not dependent on weight<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    \u2014Laura<\/p>\n

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